This invention relates to the treatment of erectile impotence. More particularly, the present invention relates to a penile prosthesis which may be implanted in a flaccid penis for enabling the achievement of an erectile state.
The causes of male impotence are many and varied. Various approaches to treating impotence have been developed over the past two decades. Penile prostheses implanted within the penis to simulate an erectile state are shown for example in Timm et al U.S. Pat. No. 3,987,789. That patent shows a prosthesis including an elongated malleable rod portion housed within a generally tubular physiologically inert plastic body. The malleable rod portion enables the prosthesis to be conformed to a variety of shapes by bending or twisting. During intercourse the prosthesis will maintain the penis in an erectile state and afterwards the penis may be positioned and maintained by the user in a convenient, comfortable position. The prosthesis depends upon its malleability to permit moving the penis to a convenient comfortable position. The flexibility and similar characteristics of the prosthesis are not controllable by the patient.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,954,102 to Buuck shows a penile erection system having two conditions. In one condition, the implanted prosthesis is controlled by varying the amount of fluid in cylinders within the prosthesis by squeezing an elastomeric bulb through the patient's skin to transfer fluid from a reservoir into cylinders in the prosthesis. Because the reservoir and bulb are positioned outside of the prosthesis within the patient's body, the implantation procedure is quite complex and the extensive tubing required to interconnect the various portions of the system increase the possibility of failure of the system.
Other implantable prostheses have been developed which incorporate a reservoir pump and valving into the prothesis itself as shown for example, in Patent Nos. 4,369,771 and 4,353,360. Those systems still require pump and valving apparatus to be installed within the prosthesis and require the transfer of fluid from a reservoir into an inflatable portion for operation.
The present invention solves these and many other problems associated with currently available devices.